Democrats won elections for NYC mayor, governor of New Jersey, governor of Virginia and a redistricting law in California that would create more Democratic districts by large margins. The results are further proof of declining favorability for U.S. President Donald Trump, who won both the popular and electoral vote in 2024.
In a race that captured attention around the world, Zohran Mamdani won the election for mayor of the Big Apple with an almost ten percent lead over former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. The New York Times reported that this was a historic turnout for a mayoral election, the largest seen in more than three decades, with a surge in early voting among youth.
A self-described Democratic Socialist, Mamdani rose from a New York state representative to the mayor of the largest city in the U.S. The Ugandan immigrant will become the first Muslim mayor and the first born in Africa, according to the Associated Press. At 34 years old, he is also the youngest person to be elected mayor in more than a century.
“For as long as we can remember, the working people of New York have been told by the wealthy and the well-connected that power does not belong in their hands,” Mamdani said in his victory speech Tuesday night Eastern Standard Time. “Tonight, against all odds, we have grasped it. The future is in our hands. My friends, we have toppled a political dynasty.”
Mamdani’s progressive agenda includes rent freezes for rent-stabilized apartments, free buses, free childcare for children under 5 years old, publicly-funded affordable grocery stores and a Department of Community Safety to assist police officers. He plans to pay for his policies by implementing a two percent tax on New Yorkers making over $1 million and raising the corporate tax rate to 11.5 percent.
His election does not come without criticism. He has been labeled a communist, most notably by Trump. His pro-Palestinian views have garnered attacks from Cuomo, who has called him a danger to Jewish New Yorkers. His religion has been spotlighted by the public, as Muslims in New York have faced discrimination since the 9/11 attacks. He apologized to the New York City Police Department on Fox News for comments he made in 2020 attacking the department.
Trump threatened to cut federal funds for the city if Mamdani was elected.
“If Communist Candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the Election for Mayor of New York City, it is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required, to my beloved first home,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Mamdani held a significant lead over Cuomo, who served as New York governor for 10 years before resigning in 2021 amid sexual harassment allegations. Cuomo initially ran as a Democrat in the primaries, but then lost to Mamdani and tried again in the general election as an independent. Trump endorsed Cuomo in the race.
Curtis Sliwa, the Republican candidate and founder of the nonprofit crime prevention group Guardian Angels, took a slim number of votes. Incumbent Eric Adams dropped out of the race and endorsed Cuomo, but his name was still on the ballot.
In another New York election, Democrat Sean Paul was elected mayor of Buffalo.
New Jersey elections
Democrat Mikie Sherill, congresswoman and a former Navy pilot, won the race for governor of New Jersey over Trump-backed candidate Jack Ciattarelli.
Sherill is succeeding two-term Gov. Phil Murphy. Although Jersey is a blue state, no party has retained control of the governorship for more than three terms since the 60s, according to the Associated Press Election Results Decision Team. However, the results show Sherill held a double-digit lead over Ciattarelli.
“New Jersey, it is the honor of my life to earn your trust to become this great state’s 57th Governor,” wrote Sherill on Instagram. “I promise to listen, lead with courage, and never forget who I serve.”
Sherill promises to tackle the affordability crisis in New Jersey by building more affordable housing, incentivize smaller grocery stores to compete with big chains, lowering prescription prices, fund childcare centers and boost sustainability.
Trump has stood firmly behind Ciattarelli and against the Sherill and the Democratic Virginian governor-elect.
“Why would anyone vote for New Jersey and Virginia Gubernatorial Candidates, Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger, when they want transgender for everybody, men playing in women’s sports, High Crime, and the most expensive Energy prices almost anywhere in the World? VOTE REPUBLICAN,” he said on Truth Social.
Ciattarelli, Republican, ran for governor in 2021 and lost to Murphy, but by a smaller margin. In the Jersey City non-partisan election for mayor, James Solomon beat Jim McGreevey.
Virginia elections
The Democratic win for governor of Virginia, a swing state, is an indicator that the federal government may become more blue in the 2026 midterm elections.
Abigail Spanberger, former congresswoman and former CIA case officer, won with large lead over Republican candidate Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and became the first female governor of the state, according to AP.
“We sent a message to the whole world that in 2025, Virginia chose pragmatism over partisanship,” said Spanberger in her victory speech on Nov. 4. “We chose our Commonwealth over chaos.”
Virginia governors cannot serve consecutive terms, either female candidates would’ve been the first. The state’s gubernatorial elections often flip to the opposite direction of the sitting president. Trump did not outright endorse Earle-Sears but did encourage Virginians to vote red.
Spanberger’s proposed similar policies to those of the new governor-elect of New Jersey, but notably, Spanberger is a staunch advocate of abortion rights. She noted on her website that Virginia is the only Southern state to not pass abortion restrictions after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and she plans to cement reproductive rights in the state.
Democrats won other races in the state: Ghazala Hashmi took the win for lieutenant governor and Jay Jones for attorney general.
California Proposition 50
The new redistricting map passed with more than 60 percent of the vote, meaning there will be a new congressional district map that favors Democrats for the next three election cycles. The AP Decision Team said that up to five seats could turn blue because of changes.
California has 43 Democratic congress members nine Republican ones, but the redrawing of district lines is seen as a counter to redistricting in Texas that created five more Republican districts.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, Trump’s longtime rival, hailed the win as a projection of Republican loses in the upcoming midterm and encouraged other states to follow California’s lead.
“We’re sicker and we’re poorer, and [Trump] fundamentally understands that,” said Newsom in a victory speech. “Why else would he call [Texas Gov.] Greg Abbott saying he’s entitled to five seats?”
Before the proposition passed, Trump called it a “GIANT SCAM” on Truth Social and said the “entire process,” referring to mail-in ballots, is “RIGGED”
Pennsylvania Judges
Three Democratic judges will keep their seats on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court after winning reelection, keeping a liberal majority among the seven judges. They will serve for another 10-year term.
The “yes” votes to retain Kevin Dougherty, Christine Donohue and David Wecht had more than 20-point leads in each race.
None of the judges ran against other candidates, and if they had lost, their seats would’ve remained vacant until 2027, according to AP. Pennsylvania is a swing state, and this election is a clue of where the state will turn in the midterms and the next presidential election in 2028.
Gov. Josh Shapiro praised the win for Democrats in the state.
“Another victory for freedom tonight in Pennsylvania,” he posted on X. “With Judges Neuman, Tsai, Dubow, and Wojcik on our Superior and Commonwealth Courts, we’ll defend the rule of law — and ensure that freedom can always ring here in Pennsylvania.”
Trump urged voters to vote “no” on the judges.
“There are three Radical Democrat Supreme Court Justices on the Ballot for a 10 year retention,” he posted on Truth Social. “Vote “NO, NO, NO” on retention of these woke Judges.”
Pittsburgh also had a race for mayor, where Democrat Corey O’Connor demolished his Republican opponent with 87.5 percent of the vote. O’Connor won the Democratic primary against the current mayor, Ed Gainey.
Other races
There were several other non-partisan mayoral races on Nov. 4, meaning candidates do not run under a party. Aftab Preval was elected mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio; Andre Dickens will be mayor of Atlanta, Georgia; and Mary Sheffield won in Detroit, Michigan. The race for Minneapolis mayor will be recounted after no candidate won 50 percent of the vote. Voters’ second choices will be counted, as Minneapolis has a ranked choice voting system.
Maine, Texas and Colorado had measures and propositions on the ballot. Maine voted “no” to voter restrictions and “yes” to allowing officers or family members to petition courts to temporarily prohibit gun ownership. Colorado said “yes” to raising taxes on residents earning more than $300,000 to fund food programs.
Texas had 17 constitutional amendments on its ballot, but the two most important to the Republican party will give more power to parents to make decisions when raising children and prohibit non-U.S. citizens from voting.
